The United States is imposing a region-wide ban on all cotton and tomato products from China’s western Xinjiang region over allegations that they are made with forced labour from detained Uighur Muslims, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Wednesday.
The action applies to raw fibres, apparel and textiles made from Xinjiang-grown cotton, as well as tomato-based food products and seeds from the region. The ban, known as a withhold release order, also applies to products processed or manufactured in third countries, CBP officials told a news briefing.
The agency, which is part of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), estimates that about $9bn of cotton products and $10m worth of tomato products were imported into the US in the past year.
DHS acting deputy secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli said the order sends a message to importers that “DHS will not tolerate forced labour of any kind” and companies should eradicate Xinjiang products from their supply chains.
In December, the US Congress passed the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which assumes that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are made with forced labour and therefore banned under the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, unless the CBP commissioner certifies otherwise.